When Retailers order from a Wholesaler they typically request a partial pallet quantity of mixed “Stock Keeping Units” or “SKUs”. The Retailer has limited storage space so deliveries of “Mixed SKU Partial Pallets” from the Wholesaler often occur one to two times a week. When the pallet is received by the Retailer the cases often go directly to the store shelves for sale and consumption by customers. Based on this demand by the Retailers the Wholesaler must develop processes to take inbound “Single SKU Full Pallets” and covert them to “Mixed SKU Partial Pallets” with as little labor as possible. The SKUs are often picked in a “First Expired, First Out” or “FEFO” methodology to prevent spoilage of food products and the cases are loaded into the transport trailers in reverse drop sequence so that cases loaded last are the first stop or drop-off point of the trailer. Considering the sequence requirements of the Wholesaler to accommodate: FEFO, reverse drop sequence, and specific mixed SKU's for each stop, sequencing of cases with minimal labor becomes very important. Manual methods of building “Mixed SKU Partial Pallets” can be back breaking work with inconsistent productivity rates between pickers. Processing mixed pallets, which are commonly required for grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, and industrial settings, can slow order fulfillment cycle times for shipping. These slow cycle times for both warehousing and shipping impact customer service levels. The quicker that goods can be processed and loaded onto trucks, trains, or other transports, the larger geographical area a distribution center or warehouse can service. For example, the quicker a truck can be loaded and unloaded, the more time is available for transport. Therefore a larger service territory the distribution center is able to service because the truck can cover a greater distance in the same amount of time. Another concern is proper sequencing so that the SKUs are loaded in the proper order onto the truck or other transport. If the SKUs are not loaded in the proper sequence, inefficiencies and other issues can occur. For instance, space can be wasted on the truck, SKUs can be damaged, and/or unloading of the truck may be more difficult.
Thus, there is a need for improvement in this field.